1. Field of the Invention
The invention is directed to a guide structure to stabilize flexible material as it is unwound from a winding, and in particular to such structure which is inserted in the axial core of a universal wind wound with a radial opening extending from the exterior of the wind to the inner core to prevent entanglement of the material as it is unwound through the radial opening.
2. Prior Art
When paying out material from the inside of a winding through a radial opening therein it is often desirable to use some means to guide the material to help prevent entanglement thereof as the material is being unwound from the inside of the winding through the radial opening. Exemplary of such prior art are U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,677,491, 3,689,005, 3,877,661 and 3,923,270, all of which have been assigned to the same Assignee as the present invention. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,677,491, the coils being pulled off of the interior of the wind are controlled by inwardly tapering members, such as truncated pyramids, which project inwardly from the end walls of the box within which the wound package is contained. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,689,005, generally conically shaped members having rounded points extend into the axial space within the package from each end. The tips of the conical members are spaced apart by a distance which is only slightly greater than the greatest cross-sectional dimension of the flexible material. The conical members are supported to be out of contact with the flexible material. The package of flexible material in accordance with U.S. Pat. No. 3,877,661 is mounted on opposed conical members which are directed towards each other and which are inserted into the ends of the axial space within the wound package. The package of flexible material in accordance with U.S. Pat. No. 3,923,270 utilizes tapering members which are inserted within the axial opening of the wound package to guide the individual coils of the material as they are withdrawn, as well as to prevent inward collapse of the winding during shipment or handling thereof. Additionally, solid material is inserted in the space between the cones and the inner wall, which material is moved prior to the unwinding of the wound material.
FIG. 1 illustrates the manner in which prior art guides have been inserted within a wound package. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the guide members comprise spaced cones 10, 12 which are inserted opposite the ends of the inner core 14 of wound package 16. These types of cone members help prevent flexible material 18 from slipping from the top half of the coil to the bottom half of the coil. When a loop of wound material breaks free from the wall of the winding, it rests on the cone members 12, 14 as illustrated in FIG. 1. As the material is paid out through radial opening 20, the loops become smaller and smaller. At some point during the payout, the torsion in the loops caused by the small radius will cause a loop on the opposite side to break free. In many instances, the flexible material is such that the one-half twist of the first loop will meet the one-half twist of the second loop and since they are in opposite directions, the twist will cancel each other out. However, such is not always the case and sometimes the whole first loop will move into the region of the second loop. Since the second loop radius is the larger, it can tangle with the first loop and cause a slip-knot to be formed in the flexible material. Moreover, another possibility is that one of the loops can lasso the payout tube 22.